The cult of busyness Good day everyone,
I hope you're well Do you ever wake up in the morning and before you've had a chance to get out of bed the thinking mind starts churning out the list of to-do's It really tries to be crazy It has the incessant need to be busy Funny enough I view the mind as a thought producing factory With random flavours of busyness It really makes me chuckle and I can relax Albeit a little Let me ask you a question When someone asks you how you are what is your first response?
I used to say I'm fine Which is another talk in itself And now more often than not I say I'm busy I'm very busy It has become so commonplace in our society It's like a sign that we are achieving something important We are productive,
Worthwhile and contributing We're in demand,
We're keeping up,
We're striving But does busyness really serve us?
We live in a world that values output and speed so highly We are bombarded by emails,
Notifications on our phones,
Deadlines that loom Our days are filled from morning to night Does it make us happy to be busy,
Truly?
I can only speak for myself But no,
I don't think it does Many of us feel a sense of emptiness We're putting in the hours at work and at home Desperately trying to fill the hours with busyness Busyness has become a kind of mantra That is the illusion of progress That if we keep on achieving,
Ticking off the to-do list We'll finally find meaning in our lives But life is happening now In the mundane aspects of life that we try and get rid of Can you remember when the last time you allowed yourself to do nothing without feeling guilty Oh,
That's definitely a big one for me To go for a walk without your phone To really listen to someone without zoning out To rest,
Not because you've earned it,
But because you're a human being We sometimes feel that slowing down is like giving up However,
It's an act of courage,
Clarity and giving to ourselves In a world that does everything to make you think the opposite But being busy is not the same as being purposeful It's about doing Purpose is about meaning Purpose often requires us to be still,
Reflect and come into a space to just be After all,
Who will remember how many emails we sent and how many meetings we attended?
They will remember how we made them feel and how present and attentive we were with them So,
The next time somebody asks you how you are,
You can try something radical Instead of saying,
I'm so busy,
You might try saying,
I'm slowing down I'm paying attention to what matters I'm here,
Now
